By: Elena Mart
On paper, Tiffani Barton’s career reads like a case study in business success. Over the course of more than a decade, she has scaled multiple government contracts to nine figures annually, sold nearly two billion dollars’ worth of goods and services to public sector clients, and built a reputation as one of the most respected procurement strategists in the country.
But numbers only tell part of the story. To understand Barton, you have to look beyond the spreadsheets and contracts and step into the two worlds she has built—one in the boardroom, the other in the lives of women learning to reclaim their power.
Her entry into government sales was almost accidental. After more than a decade in magazines, she found herself in a new role where leadership quickly noticed her knack for public sector procurement. At the time, she didn’t even know what “cooperative purchasing” meant. Within months, she was excelling at it. Within a few years, she was establishing industry standards.
She recalls the look on a procurement director’s face when she explained that his town didn’t need to go through months of competitive bidding for a critical project. “It was as if a weight lifted right off him,” she says. That was the moment Barton realized her job wasn’t just about contracts—it was about helping communities function more smoothly, saving time and money for the people who need it most.
Yet behind the professional triumphs, Barton’s personal life was beginning to unravel. Patterns of disempowerment and self-neglect, ignored for too long, caught up with her. A debilitating illness left her shaken and forced her to confront how fragile the foundation of her life had become. “I was like a building with a leaking roof,” she explains. “Strong on the outside, but letting in water where I had avoided looking.”
The illness became a turning point. Barton made a commitment to rebuild—not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. She set a personal intention that she would never abandon her own needs again, that she would speak her truth, and that she would embody the kind of woman she had once searched for in others. Out of this commitment came her bestselling book, SHED, a raw and honest account of how she led herself through sickness and into empowerment.
Her mentorship business followed. Through one-on-one coaching and her signature program, Blueprint, Barton teaches women to cultivate self-awareness, negotiate fearlessly, and stand in their personal power. “These skills aren’t innate,” she insists. “They can be learned. I’m living proof.”
What makes her story compelling is not the contrast between her two careers but the way they inform each other. The patience and persistence needed to navigate government procurement mirror the resilience she teaches women. The empathy she brings to overworked city officials echoes the compassion she extends to clients trying to break old patterns.
Recognition has followed Barton in both spaces. In her corporate role, she continues to expand public sector sales with the same determination that defined her IT career. In her mentorship work, she has been celebrated as one of MSN’s “Top 10 Most Inspiring Self-Made Women to Follow in 2025.” Yet she is quick to point out that accolades are not her primary focus. The goal is impact—whether it’s securing a multimillion-dollar contract that keeps schools safe and dry or helping a woman finally say “no” without guilt.
When asked where she sees herself in the years ahead, Barton doesn’t hesitate. She envisions herself in the C-suite, leading public sector strategy at the highest level while mentoring women worldwide. Her career, she believes, is only just beginning.
Tiffani Barton is a testament to the idea that success is not always a straight line. It is contracts signed and books written, setbacks faced and promises kept. It is learning to build strong roofs over cities and strong foundations within women’s lives. And in both, her impact is unmistakable.
Connect with Tiffani Barton on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffanibarton.